New York Challenges DOJ Lawsuit Over Courthouse Immigration Arrest Protections

New York State has recently responded to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) which challenges the state’s protections against civil immigration arrests in and around its courthouses. The state’s special litigator argues that the DOJ’s lawsuit does not provide sufficient legal grounds and attempts to revive policies from President Trump’s administration, which were previously ruled unlawful by a federal court in Manhattan. The DOJ contends that these state laws act as “intolerable obstacles” to federal immigration enforcement and violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. A law professor commented that New York has a strong case, contending that the lawsuit infringes upon the state’s 10th Amendment rights. For more detailed information on this ongoing legal matter, refer to the New York Law Journal’s coverage.